Day 18 - Pure Cardio

Very hard today... but 500 calories and 40 minutes later, I am all done.  Ordinarily I would follow this up with Cardio Abs, but I am really spent after all this.  Will swap it out with Cardio Recovery tomorrow.  I know I shouldn't have worked through the pain of a shinsplint three days ago, but getting back into the swing of this is much harder than I think.  There are days, like today, when I think I should do this phase another week before going into the Max Interval Stuff of the second sixty days.  I don't know... kinda wish someone would chime in and give me some guidance!

Anyway... not much better with the meals.  I kinda grazed a bit during the day on some vegetables (carrots, cukes, and broccoli left over from a party on Monday night) and did indulge in a Spree fix (which I walked off on the treadmill at lunch, I think), but my meals were pretty sensible.

Breakfast:  bowl of Special K, 1.5 cups of milk, banana, coffee (black)
Lunch: bowl of beef and vegetable stew soup, 6 saltine crackers
Dinner:  pork tenderloin medallions (3), veggie and pasta mix, 2 chocolate chip cookies

Need to get my butt back on Mr. Page's zig-zag plan after I get paid next week!

Day 16 and Day 17 - Cardio Circuit and Cardio Power and Resistance

Yes, I know I have been MIA for a bit.  And there is an explanation... I won't promise it's a good one, but I will tell the truth.  So here goes:

I did the Cardio Circuit on Thursday like I was supposed to do.  On Friday, with company in the house visiting from San Francisco, I began the Cardio Power and Resistance workout, and then about halfway though I felt his stabbing pain just behind my shinbone.... SHINSPLINTS!  OW!!!!!!!  Unbelievable pain!  So needless to say I had to stop and recover.... trouble is when I recover from an injury like this, I tend to get down on myself for not being careful.  And when I get down on myself for not being careful, I get HUNGRY! And thus, any resolves I had fror eating sanely went out the window.  Now I didn't overeat, but let's just say I got the "screw-it's" about snacks and what not.  Alas, I most likely undid whatever I had lost in the way of weight and stamina to keep going, but I still got back on the horse today.  Went a little easier so as not to jar my leg again and cause myself to exacerbate an already painful injury.  The good news is that I made it through without pain in my shin.  Of course being out of practice means I lost my rhythm during the workout, but I think I did pretty good all things considered.  I went straight through the whole thing and though it still eats up more energy than I think I currently have, I dug as deep as I could and went all the way through.

And that's the story.  No big drama.  I'm back on the horse today!

Will start logging meals again tomorrow.

Day 15 - Fit Test #2

PROGRESS!!!!!

Check it out:

EXERCISE	WEEK 1 2 Jan '13	WEEK 2 16 Jan '13	PROGRESS
Switch Kicks	100	115	+15
Power Jacks	28	45	+17
Power Knee	45	70	+25
Power Jumps	22	23	+1
Globe Jumps	4	7	+3
Suicide Jumps	10	14	+4
Pushup Jacks	16	24	+8
Low Plank Oblique	38	40	+2

 
YAY!  All sorts of happy about this!

I remember how apprehensive I was about starting and wondering just what I had gotten myself into this last time... how I was also hoping the numbers would go up  the next time.  I have truly gotten my wish!  Some are up higher than others, but it's all good.  Let's see if I can see even more progress with those last four exercises next time!

Good work!  Let's jump into this week with a bang!

Days 13 & 14 - Cardio Recovery and Rest

Definitely a productive week!  Made yesterday my rest day because I really needed it (and also because I had a function to attend that night, and I didn't want to go all stinky and spent), and did Cardio Recovery today.  Also got a good thirty minute walk in on the treadmill at lunch.  I took a chance and decided to boost my speed to 4mph.... daring, I know!  But it still felt great, it still staves off that 3pm crash, and lately it's been keeping me warm 'cause it gets really cold in that plant where I work!  So the benefits are threefold there!

Very quickly, I want to review how the week went in the usual fashion:

BEST:  I definitely see progress in terms of performance in the workouts.  I'm made it through all of them without crashing or taking too much additional rest.  Now, don't get me wrong, this is still the hardest workout I have ever done, and it's still kicking my ass at least six different ways!  But on the other hand, I feel like I am getting the hang of it and getting used to the max interval training style Shaun T. uses in this program.  I never thought I would work so hard and get by on such little rest, but that appears to be exactly what I am doing!  Yay!

HARDEST:  Staying on pace with the video and effectively managing the time to do this was very difficult.  I wonder if I should try working out in the mornings this week and see what happens when I try that.

WORST:  The obsession with calories and with eating.  I'm doing well so far, but I really don't want to lose one more second counting calories.  It's like fretting over your bank account... a whole lot of not fun, and this is supposed to be fun!

That's basically it.  Week three begins tomorrow, and the first thing to do is the Fit Test.  Let's see how those numbers have changed since the last time!

Day 12 - Cardio Power & Resistance

Definitely getting used to his.  Still very tired doing the exercises and it's still tough to keep pace with the video, but this time I made it all the way through without punking out during any of it!  It's a big deal.  Trust me!  A good 500-calorie burn, and a little work on the upper body.

I wasn't as good with my eating today, but I take a little heart from Adam Charlton (who's got the craziest body I have ever seen):  "I don't deprive myself from junk food , I just eat it in moderation."  And that's good news because I had to have one of Panera Bread's peanut butter dream cookies after lunch today.... like there was no question about it.  It had to be done. I just had one though... it's been my only little break from what has otherwise been a pretty good week eating-wise.

Meals:
Breakfast:  bowl of Kashi with 1% milk, 1 cup of black coffee, 1 apple
Lunch: Asian Sesame Chicken Salad, French Baguette, Acai Berry tea, peanut butter dream cookie (and no regrets)
Dinner: beef tips, 1 serving of veggie medley

Day 11 - Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs

Doubles today... and oh my, what an ass kicker it was!  The good news?  I've actually found an ab workout that does the trick, but also is not as unpleasant as Ab Ripper X from P90X.  Shaun's Cardio Abs workout was great!  Not a single crunch, but totally felt worked out!  That washboard tummy seems like it might be within reach... and in just the right light, sometimes I think I can even see it!

I downplay Mr. Horton a lot, but I will say this much for him -- he not only developed a system that I really liked once upon a time, but the stupid little bits of encouragement he would stick into his videos do have a way of staying with you.  For example, I saw that I didn't burn as many calories as I thought I did after I was done with Pure Cardio and wondered if I had dogged it... no, I know I hadn't.  Sure enough, there was Tony Horton saying "Do your best and forget the rest!" in my mind.  He also said stuff about quality over quantity.... and today that helped, because no matter what the heart-rate monitor may say in the end, I know I am pounding this out as best as I can.

Funny... as much as my mind can be my own worst enemy in situations like this, it's also my best support too at times.

Anyway, I'm feeling good.  My buddy has a birthday in Nashville and I am getting in the car for a good drive and a good time very soon.  Mr. Page's zig-zag plan says it's cheat-day so I am pretty much doing what I want for meals, but I am wanting to be sensible.... well at least until the birthday cake appears! haha!

Peace OUT!

Day 10 - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Much better at pacing, but this is still a huge ass-kicker in the second half.  I think someone needs to teach me a secret to doing the "ski abs" exercise and the "in-and-out" abs exercise too.  Those are really hard on, believe it or not, my wrists!  I'd keep at them if that part didn't give so quickly.  Open to any suggestions.  with 30 minutes on the treadmill at 3.7 mph at lunch today and this, i've burned 782 calories today.  Have not yet gotten on the scale, but I am indeed curious to see if my weight is coming down.

Completely drenched in sweat... I LOVE IT!  :)

Meals:
Breakfast - 1 cup of black coffee, 2 tbsp on natural PB on 12-grain, banana
Lunch - 1 can of Progresso Minestrone soup 5 saltine crackers
Snack - 1 power bar
Dinner - 2 cups of peeled baby carrots, 1 whole wheat pita loaf, 1 serving of beef tips, 3 tbsp hummus
Protein shake with water after workout.

Day 9 - Pure Cardio

Exercised later than usual tonight.  Completely exhausted.
Didn't bonk, but it's still hard to keep pace with Shaun T. and company.
Perhaps that will improve.  617 calories burned plus 225 on the treadmill at lunch today.
Good work, Adam

Will log my meals tomorrow.  Going to bed.

Day 8 - Cardio Power & Resistance

Forty minutes 681 calories later, I am definitely exhausted!  This time was much better in terms of "holding it together," but obviously I still have some room for growth.  Globe jumps are still the bane of my existence in this workout, but I am going at them with the best possible form and attitude I can have.  Pulse rate is more normal for me at 180-182 during the exercise, and recovery time is improving slightly.  Did a much better job of keeping the core tight and using my abdominal muscles to move my knees and legs.  I really wanna have a tummy that you can bounce a quarter off of when this is all done!

Although this was "cheat day" according to Mr. Page's zig-zag meal plan, I still ate pretty conservatively.  My only indulgences were a yatsuhashi and two of those 100-calorie packs of Special K wafers.  I also took thirty minutes to walk on the treadmill... and it was just a walk, no faster than 3,5 mph.  That actually felt pretty good and kept me from wanting my nap around 3pm.  Also burned 200 calories doing that!

Now, I have already talked twice about howe many calories I burned today, and needless to say I am doing some math so that I can eventually set some goals.  However, I need to remember that this is supposed to be for fun and for fitness.  I hope that will also keep me in check as I continue to work on this.


Meals:
Breakfast:  1.5 cups of Kashi, 1.5 cups of 1% milk, banana, hard-boiled egg
Snack: 2 100-calore packs of Special K wafers, 1 yatsuhashi
Lunch:  green salad with grilled chicken chunks (lemon juice instead of dressing)
Snack:  protein bar
Dinner:  grilled chicken breast, 1 baked potato with dried seasonings, 1 cup of baby carrots, 1 Dannon Lite cherry yogurt with a handful of granola.

Day 7 - Rest Day

With previous blogs, it's usually been my practice to review the week when this day comes.  So with that said, here's the best, hardest, and worst parts of this first week:

BEST - Making it through week one is really the major accomplishment.  Beyond that, having two rounds of Plyometric Cardio Circuit and being able to see a positive difference in both performance and energy after the second one was very encouraging.  It's also been really nice to get the support of people who have been doing this program for a while too.

HARDEST - Making it through week one.  Like I said, this was a very sobering reminder that I am not 25 anymore, and it was also very humbling to feel as weak as I did in the beginning.  The good news is that, like all programs I have done thus far, I know that this is something that will pass.  Remembering also that my only barrier is my attitude has also kept me motivated and energized as well.   It's also very hard to see the ex-pats in my office come back with sweets and goodies from Japan that I absolutely love, but so far I have stayed cool.  Had one yatsuhashi and a small cookie, but stayed on Mr. Page's eating plan the rest of the time.

WORST - Once again, my mind is still my biggest enemy; it played back that idea that I am not 25 anymore a lot in the first 72 hours or so.  Luckily, I am moving and sweating so much that I don't have time to think.  I've also had a rotten time trying to balance time with dogs, making meals, and life outside of Insanity with the workout time.... and it's only a 40-minute workout!  I'm sure this will get easier as well.  Right now my strategy has been to prepare meals and such the night before, and stick to things that don't need cooking or preparation time for lunch (and sometimes for breakfast too).  Maybe part of what this program will teach me is some time-management as well.... who knows?

Anyway, that is week one in review.  Stay tuned!

MEALS:
breakfast:  1/2 a pita loaf, 1 cup of egg beaters scrambled with spinach, cup of black coffee, 1 Dannon lite yogurt
snack:  1 yatsuhashi, 1 small cookie
lunch:  grilled chicken on salad greens
snack: protein bar
dinner:  grilled chicken breast in Applewood spices and mixed vegetables, 2nd protein bar for dessert

Day 6 - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Did MUCH better this time than the last.  Still difficult to keep pace in the second half of the workout during the Level 1 Drills, and I still haven't quite got the hang of the "ski abs" and "in-and-out abs," so I substituted those with oblique V-ups and in-and-outs from P90X.  But this time I made it all the way through without bonking.  Max pulse was 188 and I burned 567 calories.

Going to leave it with that today.

Meals:
Breakfast--2 slices whole wheat bread, 2 TB natural peanut butter, 8 oz water
Snack --Myoplex or Isopure protein shake w/1 cup milk
Lunch--4 oz. turkey breast deli meat, 1/2 whole wheat pita loaf, lettuce, 1 apple, 1 boiled egg
Snack--protein bar
Dinner--8 oz lean sirloin steak, 1 cup spinach

Day 5 - Pure Cardio

That was thirty minutes of non-stop cardio!  WOW!  My HR monitor says I burned 546 calories.  Well good... it feels like more, though!  Still having a hard time keeping pace, but I'm sure that will improve.  At least I hope it will.  Still I was surprised and even glad to see Shaun T. making people in the video who looked like they were bonking sit out and get some more water.  Makes me realize I that they too are human beings!  I think I truly could have used this workout yesterday... I had some hard realities to face and accept yesterday in my personal life and this might have been good to have on hand to get me to stop thinking and just move.  Ah well...  Everything in its time.

In other Insanity-related news, I heard from one of my former students, Jamie, who is currently in Japan on the JET Program.  He wrote me quite promptly when he found out I was doing Insanity, and told me that he too had gone through this regiment.  Needless to say I had a bunch of questions and he answered them all.  He assured me that I would absolutely get the hang of it in time, and not to fret if I am not at the moment.  He also assured me that results were forthcoming and to keep pushing through.  That was very encouraging.  It's moments and conversations like that that make me grateful that  I gave my students the best I could.  I guess I knew that I was going to need it back from them one day.

I'm going to the grocery store today, and I think I am going to shop according to this Zig Zag Meal Plan that I received from Sam Page, the guy who trained me when I was living in Los Angeles.  I progressed really nicely under his tutelage, and he used to tell me that I had a lot of heart.  I still think I do, actually; in this area, self-discipline was never a problem.  By the way, Sam, if you're reading this, I sure could use a hello from you!

Meals:
Breakfast:  1 cup of black coffee, banana, bowl of Special K with 1% milk (1 cup)
Snack:  2 celery stalks with natural peanut butter (about a teaspoon on each)... remind me never to eat that before the workout again!
Lunch:  6 slices of honey smoked turkey and lettuce on 12-grain bread
Dinner: 1 whole-wheat pita loaf, 1.5 cups of baby carrots, 3 tbsp of pain hummus, 1 serving of grilled chicken strips

Day 4 - Cardio Recovery

I have to admit, I was really psyched to get out there and sweat like a pig today, but it was recovery day.  Ah well.  I know that recovery is important, especially for this workout.  All I can say is that I am grateful for previous experience with Yoga X on P90X; if not for that, Iam sure my balance would be shot to hell.  And I also believe that without this day, I would surely hurt myself.  Just like with Yoga X, I could feel my sore legs ease up a bit.

I'm telling you, people, this workout is heavy on the leg work.  If you hate doing leg day at the gym (like I do), this is really gonna hurt.  But if pain really is weakness leaving the body (as the Marine Corps says it is), then I have a lot of it going out!  That's both encouraging and alarming, if the truth is to be told.  I was reminded not too long ago that I am no longer 25, which is a very sobering bit of truth, but I have always believed that age is just a number.... the same way that I have always believed that hard work yields results.  If nothing else, this workout is reinforcing that mental toughness that keeps me from falling victim to that kind of thinking that this is not going to work for me or that I am not going to like what I get when I am done.  At any rate, I noticed that I was better today about keeping the core tight during the exercises, and trying to put form first.  It's tough, and I am trying to remember this is going to require practice and patience... two things I have never been very good at.  Well, no time like the present to build those skills as well, right?

So I finally got a bathroom scale and weighed myself today:  145.8 lbs.  That's about 6 lbs. above what I normally weigh when I am in what I believe to be the best shape.  I guess that's one goal to set.  My resting heart rate is still high at 98 bpm, and I only got to 132 bpm during this workout, which I suppose is right for someone on recovery day.  I really don't know.  I'm just keeping tabs on these little benchmarks because they are some form of measurable data that I can use to monitor my progress.  The HR monitor I got is supposed to be able to measure calorie burn, but I'll be damned if I can figure out how to set it.  I did exactly as the little direction booklet said.  Guess I will have to wait until next time.

Pure Cardio tomorrow.  As someone who finds plyometrics to be the sandpaper on his soul, I must admit that I like the sound of that.  But this is the Insanity workout, and I am sure I am going to be drenched and depleted by the end of it.  Well.... good!

MEALS:
breakfast:  1 cup of black coffee, natural peanut butter sandwich on 12-grain, banana
lunch: honey smoked turkey breast and lettuce on 12-grain, 4 celery stalks, 6 baby carrots (I'm trying to finish what's in the fridge before it goes bad), and a glass of milk.
snack: chocolate strawberry protein shake (1 scoop of protein powder, 1 cup of milk, and a cup of frozen strawberries)
dinner:  Chicken & broccoli, white rice, 1 cup of Jell-O (Thank you Chinese buffet)

Day 3 - Cardio Power and Resistance

Felt a little better today.  These are still requiring more energy than I think I presently have, but I actually felt like there was a good chance that the next time I do this workout I will be able to keep pace and/or not punk out.

I really tried to engage the core all the way through like Shaun T. says to do, but I think I was able to get that about 75% of the time.  I'm pretty sure that too will get more natural with practice.  Not a lot of space in my living room to do the globe jumps, so I was stuck doing the side-to-side version of these.  I think that's one thing I do miss about P90X was the ability to modify a bit.  There doesn't seem to be much wiggle-room with Insanity.  Ah well.

In short, today I felt like I could possibly have the physiques I saw in the video today!  :)

Need to get a scale and a heart monitor, will have to do that when I go to the store next time.

MEALS:
Breakfast:  Special K, 1 cup skim milk, black coffee
Snack:  3 handfulls of cashew nuts, 1/3 cup of baby carrots
Lunch:  Mom's chicken soup... last portion
Pre-workout snack:  1 cup of applesauce
Dinner: Chicken & broccoli, white rice, 1 cup of Jell-O (Thank you Chinese buffet)

Day 2 - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Drenched in sweat and exhausted... but I survived.  This is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done, and I am not so sure that I did it very well.  Part of it is just that it's my first time through this and I was not sure what was coming.  Another part of it is that I really don't know yet how to pace myself for this without dogging it initially.  I do this again in three days and maybe I will have a better idea of what to expect and how to manage it a little better.

Already I can feel that mental barrier going up telling me that I have bitten off more than I can chew and that the people in the videos are super-human.  It's BS, I know.  I felt almost exactly the same way when I started P90X too.  It will come.  I need to trust the process.

Meals:
Breakfast:  1 cup egg beaters springled with cheese, banana, 1 cup black coffee
Snack:  1 ring of pineapple
Lunch:  bowl of Mama's chicken soup
Snack: 1 bag of pistachios, handful of baby carrots
Dinner:  bowl of Mama's chicken soup, saltine crackers

(later)  
I had a couple of celery stalks before bed, one with a tsp of natural peanut butter

Day 1 - Fit Test

Jesus, what the hell am I getting into?  The fit test alone was an ass-kicker!

Well, even so, I am determined to go through the next sixty days of this.  The only direction to go now is up, right?  I'm trying to recall how tired I was when I started P90X and can't seem to do it... pain has no memory, right?

Well, I think that the only thing I need to worry about now is maintaining good form.  I'm hoping to talk to John Dugger at Sumitomo who has done this regiment and can maybe guide me through this.  I'm also going to look for some other "Insanity" blogs and see what I can glean from them in terms of how people have felt along the way.

At any rate, here's where I am starting:

• Switch kicks - 100
• Power jacks - 38
• Power knee - 45
• Power jumps - 22
• Globe jumps - 4
• Suicide jumps - 10
• Push-up jacks - 16
• Low plank obliques - 38

Let's see those numbers go up!

I sneaked a peek at tomorrow's workout... it too looks like 40 minutes of sheer sweat, blood, and tears.

I'm going to wait until after the first week to set some goals.  Right now, just having gotten started is the big victory.

No punking out... I WILL DO THIS!!!!

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: black coffee, Special K with 1 cup of skim milk
Snack:  1 cup Dole Mandarin oranges with the juice
Lunch:  Roast beef sandwich, no cheese, 1/2 cup of carrots
Snack:  power bar
Dinner: 1 bowl of Mama's chicken soup (homemade) with basmati rice, 1 cup of applesauce